The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 6, 1917, Page 12

A Western Vacation Trip =S S S S ES eSS E A Birdseye Glimpse of Life in Semi-Arid Idaho By a “Gem-State” Homestead Girl E were sitting, Dora and I, in my little white house at the foot of the hill one snowy Saturday in February, when we first thought of it. I was doing the “last lap” of proving up on a homestead in southern Idaho and this last year Dora had lived with me teaching in an adjoining district while I wiclded the birch in the home district, ‘We wanted a vacation trip—and how to get it was the question. We had just one horse and saddle and we were 35 miles from a railrcad. We knew that we would have only enough money to last until school began in the fall. But we were simply hankering for that trip —one that would take us where we could see something more than sage- brush.and jackrabbits. We didn't see how we were going to get it with our forrunes at such a low ebb. And then the idea came. To borrow another horse and saddle was easy. We would do that and ride across country to the home of Dora's brother nearly 100 miles distant and later spend a few days at Lava Hot Springs. It takes only $2 a week there we had been told, to rent a furnished one-room cottage, so.it was Lava for us. A vacation trip rather “different” if somewhat strenuous was ours for the taking. GIRLS TAKE 100 MILE HORSEBACK TRIP During the weeks that, followed we talked and planned and it was time to be on the way almost before we knew it. One Friday morning saw us array- ed in riding skirts, sweaters, and sun- bonnets—rot hats—for the Idaho sun is hot and the Idaho wind is strong and we didn’t want to be any more blistered than we could help. Feed for the horses and some lunch for ourselves were tied to the saddles. We expected to reach the home of Morrison’s, friends of Doras, the first day and spend the night with them. ‘We walked and cantered and galloped, but mostly we walked, as Daisy had a game foot the result of a wire cut a month previous. The early morning breeze increased to a stiff wind and the sun beat down hot as we rode the dozen miles through the canyon which is the gateway be- tween Curlew and Malad valleys. “Hello girls,” sang out a young fel- low from a crowd of road workers, “Can't I go too?” We maintained a gtony silence but we didn't care a bit— it was so nice to be taken for flirta- tious young girls instead of dignified school ma’ams. ENJOY PANORAMA OF IDAHO LANDSCAPE Leaving behind us the narrow can- yon and brush-covered hills the pano- rama of beautiful Malad valley spread itself before us. Waving fields of grain and lucern — Pleasant View, Samaria, St. John, and Malad City and every roadway brave with Lombardy poplars standing straight and tall like grenadiers on sentinel duty. Around all, the mountains, rugged and impas- sive, mute observers of the transfor- mation wrought by years of patient toil in converting a solitude of sagebrush to a’land “blooming like the rose.” .Somewhere on the other side of these shining green fields near at hand was the road to Downey which must be found as it is the only road for miles which would take us over the next range of mountains. Reaching St. John we inquired, “How shall we go to get the Downey road and how far is it to Downey?” Well, we should go such and such a way and it was 22 miles to Downey. After we had gone that way for another hour we asked again, “How far is it to Downey?” “It is 35 miles to Downey. You aren’t going there tonight are you?’” No we weren't, but we must get to the Downey road in order to get to where we were going. CROSS HISTORIC PIONEER TRAIL : We ate the last crumb of lunch, as we made the third stop late that after- noon by the side of a little stream which tinkled and sang on its way to its final resting place in the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Somehow the world seemed to lose some of its joy as the sun sank lower and lower. The chill of evening enwrapped us and we were far from home, desolate and alone among strangers. The little house in Curlew seemed very far away and very desirable as two weary girls climbed on the backs of two tired ponies and started on. And then pretty soon we came to the Downey road—the road which could tell so many stirring tales of the early days when the pony ex- press and the overland mail traveled its dusty length, if it could only speak. The sun was dipping behind the mountains as we climbed the ascent on the second divide. While we were walking along a mile or two by way of stretching our aching limbs, an automobile honked and whizzed by. Its lone occupant, a man of course, strength and flagging spirits and we traveled the remaining distance to the Morrison’s the next morning. Sunday afternoon and evening we enjoyed the hospitality of the Mor- mon bishop’s home and the next day we pushed on to the home of Dora's brother. This last 30 miles was the most picturesque part of the trip. The road skirts the Portenuf river for miles, with bluffs and precipices rising sheer for many feet along the side of the lava rock standing upright in rows so even that it seems as if they must have been placed there piece by piece by some giant hand give evidence of the mighty convulsions of nature which have carved this part of the state. A tiny cabin right by the water's edge, almost hidden by the willow trees told of some pioneer spirit who expected to make a home for himself in all that wilderness of rocky soil, At nightfall Edited by Alberta B. Toner ments of housekeeping furniture. Our total furnishings consisted of one campstove, an iron bed with no mat- tress, one small table of rough pine boards, and two chairs. Sans dishes, sans broon, sans cooking utensils of any sort. Right back to elementary living sure enough. We utilized tin cans and ate with our fingers regular hobo fashion for a meal until I plucked up “nerve” enough to “rustle” a few more implements of civilized house- keeping- from a neighboring cabin dweller. GIRLS “BATCH” AT LAVA HOT SPRINGS We enjoyed the plunges into the the steaming hot water of the pools and vied with each other as to who could remain submerged the Ilongest. About 10 minutes was our limit but there were some visitors present who claimed they could stay in up to their Two ldaho schoolteachers who took a long vacation trip by horseback smiled at us trudging along and dis- appeared in the fast gathering gloom. “He needn't have grinned at us like a Cheshire cat, anyway,”™ said Dora. “Might have asked us to ride,” I grum- bled, “we could have tied Beauty and Daisy on behind. However I'm thank- ful that we're not the kind that can’t travel this way.” Would we never get to the Morri- sons? Presently we spied a log cabin whose windows were dark. What a dandy place to turn in for the night, let the horses out in the pasture and take possession. Nothing but fear of the owner’s possible return prevented us. More inquiries from a passing horse- man disclosed the fact that we were still miles from the Morrison home. At last Dora declared, “The next house I see that has a light, I'm going to stop and see if we can’t stay all night.” I demurred on the ground that people always looked with suspicions on girls ‘traveling alone. It wasn’t as if we were men looking for a job or something. But I would gladly have rolled up in a blanket and slept out under the sky —only I didn't have the blanket. De- spite my objections Dora stopped at the next house where a light shone and walked boldly up to the door. GIRLS FIND PLACE FOR THE NIGHT After a few minutes parley within she returned. Oh joy, we could stay there till morning. It was then ten o’clock. "We had been in the saddle since seven in the morning and our new-found friend thought us marvels of endurance, and that we certainly ought “to be wrote up in the papers.” A good night's rest restored our we. wound round the mountain road which took us to brother Frank’s, and right glad we were to be there. AND PLAINS RESIDENTS ENJOY MOUNTAIN PRODUCT How we did enjoy the “garden sass” which grew so luxuriantly on the mountain farm where rainfall was _more abundant and potash deposits in the soil helped on the good work There had been such a dearth of.fresh vegetables on my. homestead as it was a ‘“dry farm” and most of our vege- tables grew in tin cans. ‘We had several dips in the river and spent a day picking strawberries which paid us “two bits” each and cost us more aches and pains than the horse- back riding had done. Fourth O’ July saw us al a good old-fashioned cele- bration in the country with its bare- back riding, broncho busting, speech- making and dancing. Lava Hot Springs is a resort con- trolled by the state in order to give even the poorest person an opportunity to take the baths. Inclosures have been made around two of the pools with regular hours at which all men may enter one while the women are in the other. A fine natatorium has also been put up at considerable expense where for twenty-five cents one may rent a bathing suit and take advantage of the shower baths and’ other con- veniences. We saw little children of seven and eight who after a @Gay or wo's practice with the water-wings cavorted around like little ducks in the hot water while older people looked on unable to do more than splash after the fashion of the old hen with her duckling little ones. Ougz cabin contained only the rudi- PAGE TWELVE necks half an hour. We climbed ta the summit of a mountain which rose almost sheer from the camp, reaching the top after a hard scramble up ita rocky cedar-strewn side. We lingered long on that mountain-top watching the sun as it dropped in a blaze of glory behind the rugged mountaing across the valley, leaving them shroud- -ed in purple haze, their peaks glowing brightly in that last dying radiances But then after another day or two, we got suddenly tired of the lack of con- veniences, and we weren’t sick enough anyway to stay in a place like that, so one sunshiny morning we said goodbye to everything, saddled up for the returm trip home and rode back to the little white house in Curlew. HOW MUCH CEREAL F0OOD SHOULD BE USED Cereal food of one kind or anothep forms a large part of almost every wholesome and economical diet. As a general rale, the greater the part play- ed by cereals the cheaper the diet. Up to a certain point one may cut down the quantity of meat, etc., eggs, butter, sugar, fruits, and vegetables used ami Substitute cereal foods, but there is a limit beyond which this can not be safely done. The sample day's ration for a family of father, mother and three children, discussed in a former bulletin of this series, was planned to use cereals as freely as ig considered wise. It contained about 414 pounds of bread, or its equivalent in a variety of cereal foods, 2 quarts of milk, 1 1-4 pounds of medium-fat meat, 10 ounces of butter or other fat, % pound of sugar, and 4 or 6 pounds of fruits and vegetables. In this diet the cereal iopds supply about one-half of the Prow ein. P e